Is it a Takeover or a Falling Away?
Is it a take over? Or a falling away? Hagia Sophia was built between 532 and 537AD as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey. It was converted into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The Chora Church was originally built between 330 and 336 AD as a monastery, it first because a mosque during the Ottoman Era. It became a museum in 1945, and now a mosque again, since 2020. Church buildings repurposed as mosques isn't new. And I'm positive that the symbolism isn't an accident, it sends a message of conquest. In modern times, across Europe and now North America, churches are being converted to mosques as well. And the symbolism isn't lost on the current Christian population. While there is no official exact count, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding tracked 3,100+ churches in the US have been converted to mosques. But why? Dwindling Christian congregations and local church closures have led to empty buildings being s...